1. Field of The Invention
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for teaching music to a musical novice and a novel music sheet for implementing the method. More specifically, it relates to a method for teaching the playing of a piano for introducing the world of music to people who have never played music before. It relates to a method of teaching a young child or other musical novice, including but not limited to people who are mentally or physically handicapped, who could benefit from successfully playing the piano virtually immediately, and who have no knowledge of musical instruments or of sheet music, how to read sheet music and to play the music written thereon on the keys of a keyboard instrument, particularly a piano.
2. Description of Related Art
The teaching of music is centuries old, as old as music itself. It is not surprising, therefore, to find elements of any novel teaching method in the prior art (much as one would find screws, nuts and bolts, cams, and gears as prior art of mechanical devices), most often in combinations too complex for introducing children to music.
The broad concept of writing music on a staff consisting of a single line is shown by Glenn (U.S. Pat. No. 3,331,271) in FIG. 1 and described in column 2, lines 54-57. However, the single line in Glenn comprises a reference line for a single octave with the notes of the octave being represented in both spaced relationship relative to the single line and by lines associated with each note. Glenn does not use the staff line to separate notes to be played by the left and right hands nor are her notes in the form of numbers corresponding to the fingers of the hands. Glenn also marks her keyboards for use with her notation system, but Glenn does not mark the keys with the notes themselves.
The broad concept of numbering the fingers and thumbs of the two hands by the numbers 1-5 is not novel. This is shown by Von Unshuld-Lazard (U.S. Pat. No. 1,133,074), Miller (U.S. Pat. No. 1,473,495), and Leonard (U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,733,956, 3,888,155, 3,890,875, and 4,041,828).
Von Unshuld-Lazard shows (FIG. 1) a staff 10 having characters 11 printed adjacent thereto, the characters 11, comprising the numbers 1, 2, and 3, and teaches (page 1, lines 90-100) that the numbers identify the fingers (thumb, index, and middle, respectively) which are to play the notes. Von Unshuld-Lazard also shows the numbers for the right hand printed above the staff and the numbers for the left hand printed below the staff. However, Von Unshuld-Lazard shows the conventional staff with conventional musical notes thereon and relates the numbers only to the notes to be played by the fingers designated by the characters 11. The notes per se are not identified with particular numbers, nor are the keys corresponding to the notes numbered; indeed, the depiction of the keys does not contain any numbers. As a result, the thumb, index finger, and middle finger (1, 2, and 3) are associated with different notes along the staff, since they play 15 different keys while ascending the scale.
Miller, like Von Unshuld-Lazard, labels each of the fingers with a number (page 2, lines 7-11) but does not label any single key or note with the same number. The notes are associated with a staff consisting of lines designating the black keys and spaces therebetween for designating the white keys.
Leonard (U.S. Pat. No. 3,733,956) discloses a slide rule for teaching music. Portions thereof which are related to this invention are particularly unclear, but the paragraph consisting of column 2, lines 17-29, suggests that the fingers of the right hand only are associated with the numbers 1-5. Like Miller and Von Unshuld-Lazard, Leonard does not label any single key or note with the same number. In addition to being limited to a slide rule, Leonard also lacks any teaching of a notation system including a staff associated with a portion of a piano keyboard.
Leonard (U.S. Pat. No. 3,888,155) shows a slide rule for teaching the playing of music to a very young child. The fingers of both hands are labeled (column 1, lines 25-26 and 65-66) from thumb to pinkie with the numbers 1-5, respectively. The slide rule associates a pictorial of a hand having these numbered fingers with the alphabetical note names of five consecutive notes which are to be played on five consecutive white keys on a piano keyboard (implied in column 2, lines 35-41 and FIG. 3); notes corresponding to the note names may or may not be printed on a staff. This association is done individually and separately for each hand; compare FIGS. 1 and 3. Music is written (FIG. 3) as a series of letters designating note names with numbers indicative of the fingers of one and only one of the hands printed adjacent the note names. The student is to play the note indicated by striking the key known to correspond thereto with the finger indicated by the number. Leonard further states: xe2x80x9cOne of the first things that a child must learn when beginning the study of music is basic keyboard fingering, which is generally taught by providing the student with simplified sheet music having the individual notes numbered in accordance with the numbering of the fingers used to play them.xe2x80x9d (Column 1, lines 5-10.) Thus, for each hand individually and exclusively of the other, Leonard numbers the fingers, associates the finger numbers with a set of note names (and possibly notes on a staff), and provides a music sheet having the numbers and note names printed sequentially therealong. As such, Leonard (""155) is essentially a music system for only one hand at a time with no means for coordinating both together. The invention disclosed and claimed herein differs in many respects: Leonard does not number the keys of a keyboard, but rather relies on the child to identify the key from a prior knowledge of the correspondence between note name and key. Leonard does not provide a music sheet which teaches the use of both hands simultaneously. And, she does not teach a single-lined staff having numbers, exclusively, positioned on the staff which show not only which key is to be struck and which finger is to be used, but also which hand has the finger in question.
Leonard (U.S. Pat. No. 3,890,875) shows a slide rule for teaching the relationship between notes, note names, and the corresponding keys on a piano keyboard. FIG. 1 shows left and right hands numbered from thumb to pinkie with the numbers 1-5, respectively, but the text does not indicate a use for the display other than to represent which hand (usually) plays which octaves of a piano keyboard. Leonard does not show a single lined staff, nor does she number the keys of the keyboard.
Leonard (U.S. Pat. No. 4,041,828) shows a slide rule for teaching scales and chords. Of interest is the numbering of the fingers of the left and right hands from thumb to pinkie with the numbers 1-5, respectively. The numbers show which finger is to be used to play the note of the scale or chord on the keyboard; see column 1, lines 39-45, and column 3, lines 6-10. Leonard states that so numbering the fingers is according to xe2x80x9cconventional elementary music teaching techniquesxe2x80x9d (column 3, line 18) and represents xe2x80x9cthe proper numbering of the fingersxe2x80x9d (column 3, lines 20-21). However, only the fingers are numbered. The keys, in particular, are not, as shown in FIG. 1, for instance, by the note C being played by both finger 5 or 2, depending on which scale or chord is being considered. Leonard does not show a single lined staff, nor does she number the keys of the keyboard.
The broad concept of displaying notes as numbers on a staff on a piece of sheet music, specifically including the numbers 1-5 among others, is not novel. This is shown by Eschemann (U.S. Pat. No. 566,388) and Guilford (U.S. Pat. No. 608,771).
Eschemann shows a diagram of a keyboard including permanent designations of the seven natural notes of the C-Major scale (C-B) of each octave (the white keys) in the form of the numbers 1-7 printed in solid lines and the five accidentals (the black keys) in the form of the number of the note sharped or flatted printed in dashed lines. The diagram is placed beneath the strings of an autoharp. There is no relationship of the numbers to any staff nor to the fingers of the player.
Guilford also permanently designates the chromatic notes of the C-Major scale (C-B) of each octave, in his case consecutively with the numbers 1-12. The notes are not associated with staff lines nor with the fingers which play them.
Shires (U.S. Pat. No. 881,085) discloses a musical notation system which appears to comprise numbers as notes with words printed alongside. A close reading, however, shows that the words constitute the notes and the numbers indicate the time value of the notes. Shires also differs by displaying the notation system on a standard, five line staff.
The teaching methods and apparatuses disclosed in these patents, and all other publications known to the inventor do not anticipate nor render obvious, singly nor in combination, the invention disclosed and claimed below, largely due to the many differences enumerated above, but primarily due to the lack of any teaching of the integrating concepts of the instant invention. Most of the teaching in the prior art are too complex for a young mind, to grasp, especially those unfamiliar with musical terms and practices.
The remaining references are cited for their showings of interesting features which are only marginally related to the instant invention.
The present invention overcomes the difficulties described above by providing a novel teaching method utilizing a novel music sheet comprising: (1) identifying the fingers of both hands and the corresponding keys to be played with those fingers with the same set of numbers, namely, the numbers 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 for the fingers of the left hand and 1, 2, 3, 4, and for the fingers of the right hand, (2) providing a staff having a single line which divides the musical scale between notes played by the left and right hands, and (3) placing xe2x80x9cnotesxe2x80x9d in the musical order of a musical composition on the staff, the xe2x80x9cnotesxe2x80x9d being in the form of numbers, the same numbers which identify the keys and the fingers designated for playing the keys.
It is an object of the invention to provide a teaching method and music sheet which is easy to understand and use by people of all ages.
Another object of the invention is to provide a teaching method and music sheet by means of which a musical novice including a young child and the mentally or physically handicapped can find instant success in playing a piano.
Another object of the invention is to provide a teaching method and music sheet which associates the fingers of the hand with specific keys of a keyboard and with notes on a music sheet.
Another object of the invention is to provide a teaching method and music sheet in which the music sheet includes a staff comprising a single line which separates notes to be played with the right hand from notes to be played with the left hand.
Another object of the invention is to provide a teaching method and music sheet in which the music sheet further includes a diagram of the portion of the keyboard which includes the keys to be used in the playing of the notes of the musical composition printed on the staff.
Another object of the invention is to provide a teaching method in which the music sheet further includes the words of a song to be played.